Worth The Wait
by StevePeggyEndgame
Summary: Based around the ending of Endgame where Steve returns to the 1940s to be with his one true love, Peggy. He hopes to live the life he'd always dreamed of, which was falling in love and dancing with Peggy. However, will it be that simple? Or will Hydra tear them apart once again?


**Author's note: I thought Captain America's ending in Endgame was perfect. Ever since Captain America: The First Avenger, I have been in love with the pairing of Steve and Peggy, so when I saw them get their happily ever after I was unbelievably happy. **

**Anyway, this story will be based around the reunion of Steve and Peggy. It will take place in the 1940s after the war has ended as shown in the film. I hope you all enjoy it! Please review and let me know what you think!**

_September 23__rd__ 1945_

It had been a month since Steve's death, however time was not healing the wound at all. She had lost the first man she had ever truly fallen in love with. Most nights she didn't get much sleep, the haunting words of their last conversation and the plane crashing into the ice invaded her every single dream. She'll never forget the tears rolling down her face and the pain in their voices as they discussed the dance that was never to be.

It had been a week since the war was declared as over, that's right, Steve died just died three weeks before the end of the war, making the ultimate sacrifice. Everyone was so happy and celebrating the fact their husbands, partners, fathers, brothers and friends would be coming home. Peggy couldn't find it in her to celebrate though, all she felt was the overwhelming heartache of knowing she'd never see Steve again.

Her alarm sounded, signalling it was 6am and time to go to work, however she'd been awake for hours staring blankly at the ceiling. Although the war was over, there were still loose ends to tie up and paperwork to complete. Plus, she was still Agent Carter, the fearless and strong individual who could never let anything get in the way of her work. So, she rolled out of bed, got dressed, fixed her hair and applied her signature red lipstick. She arrived at base, Camp Lehigh, and went to Colonel Phillips to get her list of objectives for the day.

"Morning Colonel Phillips, I'm here to collect my work." She said in her firm British accent.

"Morning Agent Carter, it's on the desk over there." He replied in his rough southern voice. Peggy turned around and headed to go pick it up. "Wait a second errr, how are things going?"

"Fine, why do you ask?" She lied.

"Agent Carter or can I say, Margaret, I know how much Captain Rogers meant to you and…" Colonel Phillips said trying to be there for her, but she interrupted.

"With all due respect sir, I have a lot to do and I'd like to get started on my work." Peggy stated trying to remain her reliable self.

Colonel Phillips gave her an understanding nod.

"If you need anything, you know where to find me." He offered.

Peggy nodded and walked out of his office and to her desk so she could get started on her work. It took her hours to file the folders of known to be dead Hydra targets and it was an emotionally draining job. However, she knew that thanks to Steve and all of the other brave soldiers, the world was a better place with the Hydra members dead.

After lunch, she went to collect a new set of files and unfortunately for her, it was an even more unbearable task. She had to file the folders of some of the soldiers that had tragically lost their lives. Hours passed as she scanned through the fallen, she remembered a few from Camp Lehigh but most of them were men she had never met. These men were amongst those who had made the ultimate sacrifice. Just like that her thoughts had drifted back to Steve, she remembered the day he was injected with the super soldier serum. She remembered how she couldn't stop the blush that came to her face and how she couldn't help briefly touching his newly defined chest. Obviously, the new Steve brought about a more physical desire for him, but it was his sweet and pure personality she'd fallen for. He wasn't like anyone she'd ever met. Unlike most of the other men in that field of work, he was completely selfless, caring and understanding. He had a great sense of right and wrong and always fought for what he believed in. Not to mention his incredibly endearing awkwardness around her. He was like a breath of fresh air. Now, she was back to living in a world with mostly domineering and sleazy men who undermined her achievements. Despite his absence, he would always live on in her heart and in the memory of the American nation. She just wished she had something, anything that belonged to him. She picked up the next file that was stamped with the phrase "inactive" and opened it up. Her breath caught in her throat as she read the surname to be Rogers. A half-covered photo was stuck in the file, so she pulled it out and saw that it was Steve before he received the super soldier serum. Tears ran down her face as she traced her fingers over his face. She couldn't believe it. Her heart became numb with pain as she read through all the mission reports and information in his file. She couldn't do this, not now, so she picked up the photo slipped it into her hand bag and walked to Colonel Phillips' office. Standing in the doorway, she knocked on his door to gain his attention.

"Agent Carter, what can I do for you?" He asked and acknowledged that she looked like she'd been crying.

"I know it's not ideal, but I was wondering if you'd let me go home early. I've had a pretty tough day and would just like to…" Peggy said with sadness invading her every word until Phillips interrupted her.

"I'll let you go but sit down first." He said sternly. Despite his tough exterior, Colonel Phillips was adamant on offering some support to Agent Carter as he knew exactly how painful the emotion grief could be. Peggy did as she was told and sat down on the chair on the opposite side of his desk. "I know you don't want to talk about this, especially not with me because I was so harsh with Rogers, but the truth is you have to. Take it from me, Margaret, bottling emotions especially grief gets you nowhere. All it achieves is an empty feeling inside. It didn't seem like it, but I had a great amount of respect for Rogers. Hell, that son of a bitch not only saved a thousand men in one mission, he saved the world. Now I know that you and Rogers were more than just colleagues, so I know that you'll be feeling a great amount of sadness. I want you to know that there's always hope and that you can always come to me if you need anything."

"Thanks Colonel." Peggy said and smiled painfully.

"Off you go, before I get too soft with you." Phillips said and smiled slightly.

At home, the sadness she felt hadn't eased off. But once she pulled the photo out, she smiled through her tears as now she would always have something other than her memories to remember him by. It was now 6pm, which was certainly an early finish for her, but after the events of the day she felt as though her early finish was deserved. She crawled into bed and placed the photo next to her pillow, hoping she would finally have a peaceful sleep.


End file.
